Proposals to reduce carbon take shape

The city of Seattle wants to make people who drive gas guzzlers pay an extra "carbon fee" each year.

The state says developers will soon have to calculate the greenhouse gases from big new office buildings or housing developments before they can even break ground.

And both the state and environmentalists want big business and big government to also start tracking the greenhouse gases they create.

As the state Legislature prepares to convene next month, talk about tackling climate change is now coming down to earth, in the form of specific — and potentially controversial — proposals that would be felt from the corporate boardroom to the driver's seat.

"This is where the rubber meets the road on climate change," said Tim Ceis, Seattle's deputy mayor. "These are the kinds of changes we are going to have to consider if we are serious about reducing carbon."

Seattle leaders have been talking to lawmakers about a bill that would impose an added fee for license tabs that would be scaled based on fuel efficiency. Gas-hogging SUVs would pay more; hybrids and electric cars would pay less.

While the actual fee amount would be up to the Legislature, Ceis said a reasonable average would be $100, with gas guzzlers possibly going as high as $300. Large commercial vehicles would be exempt, Ceis said.

The idea is to create an extra incentive to buy efficient cars, to make people pay for their impact on the environment, and to raise money for measures that reduce carbon emissions, such as improved transit, Ceis said. It could be a statewide fee, or it could be one that local cities or counties could impose.

But the idea will not be popular with many groups, including automakers, who have worked to defeat similar proposals in Maryland and California.

"It's really nothing more than an added tax on families and small-business owners who need larger vehicles," said Charles Territo, spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, a lobbying group. "Owners of those vehicles are already paying more because of high gas prices."

Meanwhile, the state is already preparing to order cities and counties to study what effects new projects, such as office buildings, will have on the climate. State environmental law probably already requires it, though it hasn't been done in the past, said Jay Manning, head of the state Department of Ecology.

As for environmentalists, one of the top priorities for this year will be trying to change state land-use laws so communities have to factor in climate change as they plan for growth.

They, along with the Ecology Department, also would like to start an accounting system for larger companies or governments to track their greenhouse-gas emissions. That would help set the stage for future regulations aimed at cutting the gases.

On Wednesday, a commission created by Gov. Christine Gregoire was still working on recommendations for an overall plan to begin cutting statewide greenhouse-gas emissions, with a goal of getting 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

Though short on details, the draft lays out 47 areas the state should address. They include changes in everything from how people get around, to the homes they live in, and the way businesses operate.

Warren Cornwall: 206-464-2311 or wcornwall@seattletimes.com